Page 77 of A Court So Dark
The male whirled on his heel and walked away, his long black robe sweeping behind him. As we sat on a velvet upholstered bench, Kalyll squeezed my hand and gave me a reassuring smile.
I wouldn’t have been surprised if we’d had to wait for an hour, but within the span of ten minutes, a page boy came to fetch us and guide us deeper into the palace. As our steps resonated across the dark cavernous halls, my hands began sweating. We were willingly moving deeper into the devil’s den.
The thought occurred to me that we might end up in the same dark cell from which I’d rescued Kalyll only days ago. If that happened, I feared no one would be able to find us ever again.
Pushing my worries aside, I matched Kalyll’s firm steps and pushed my shoulders back, determined to portray nothing but strength.
After we entered a dimly lit area, the page boy paused, then made a sweeping gesture with his hand. After that, he exited and a set of double doors closed behind us with aclank. A few torches glowed from their high perches on the slick dark columns that lined the path ahead. At the end of the long corridor sat an empty throne lit from behind, two guards standing at either side. Someone had a flair for the overly dark and dramatic.
We walked forward, our steps echoing as they would in a mausoleum. We stopped a few steps from the dais, and I had to stop myself not to gape at the baleful throne, which seemed to be built from veined black marble and bones.
The Unseelie King entered from one side and sat down. He crossed one leg and propped an elbow on the armrest of his grotesque throne, one index finger tapping his sharp chin. He was a tall, thin male with pale skin, a hooked nose, and shoulder-length white hair. His demeanor was full of impatience and annoyance, as if the existence of others were a nuisance to him, as if it made him angry that others breathed the same air he did.
“My King,” Kalyll said, after swallowing the bile that acting servile in front of this male must bring to his throat.
I paired his bow with a curtsy as I held Mythorne’s inquisitive gaze. He was getting an eyeful of my boobs, which meant the revealing dress I’d chosen was doing its job.
Mythorne lifted an eyebrow, as if unsatisfied by the proffered respect. When Kalyll frowned, Mythorne’s eyes lowered to the floor. Taking the hint, Kalyll bent a knee, teeth clenched. I did the same, bile burning in my throat. It was humiliating.
After the shortest bow in deference, we stood back up. Impatiently, Mythorne waved a hand and glanced to the side of the dais where he had entered. He waved again, inviting someone in. Footsteps sounded, and a person appeared beside Mythorne. I nearly choked and had to look to Kalyll for an example of how to remain composed. I honestly didn’t know how he managed to look so calm at the sight of Cardian at the right hand of the Unseelie King. Or how he bowed when what he clearly wanted to do was chop their heads off.
“What do you think of this, Cardian,” Mythorne said. “He comes to offer me troops that arealreadyat my disposal.”
“The gall of it.” Cardian smirked.
Kalyll slowly glanced around the throne room as if searching for thesubordinate. He seemed to ponder for a moment, then decided to go for shock value.
“Nonsense, I’ve come to offer you a wife.” He took a step to the side and made a flourish in my direction.
CHAPTER 29
DANIELLA
“Awife?”Mythornerepeated,though not with surprise. Instead, he seemed to roll the word over in his mouth as if to taste it and learn whether he found it savory or not.
A chill assaulted me as he inclined his head and his eyes roved over my body.
Next to him, Cardian appeared ill at the news. His fists clenched, and his lower lip trembled, denouncing his anger. Why such a reaction? What did he care who Mylendra married?
“You’ve come to offer your king scraps?” he said.
Kalyll’s head snapped in his brother’s direction, his gaze alighted on Cardian for the first time. “How dare you call my daughter scraps? Come down here and say that again.”
“Don’t talk to me like that,” Cardian barked. “I am the Seelie King.”
Kalyll threw his head back and laughed. “Here, you are nothing. It is Kellam Mythorne who rules. Go back to romanticized life in your flowery tower.”
Mythorne observed everything with a slight grin stretching his thin lips. Without abandoning his amused expression, he said, “But you seemed to have a different opinion mere days ago,Qierlan. You were quite willing to bestow your…non-scrapsto that place you now disparage.”
And wasn’t that the crux of the matter? Earl Qierlan couldn’t be trusted. He would side with whoever gave him the greatest advantage. But Kalyll didn’t let this little inconvenient truth hinder his award-winning performance. Instead, he smoothly transitioned into the next scene of our little act, which we had planned carefully, knowing this particular subject would come up sooner or later.
Thumping a fist against his chest like a good Catholic, Kalyll said, “That is, of course, entirely my fault, as my clever daughter pointed out from the beginning. If only I had listened.” He inclined his head in my direction, letting me know it was my time to shine, and by shining I meant using Mylendra’s female guiles.
Okay, Dark Dani, ready?
Sashaying, I paced back and forth in front of the dais, one hand on my waist and the other one elegantly trailing behind me.
“From the start, Kalyll Adanorin was not to my liking. I always thought he was weak, and as it turned out, I was right.”
